by Jillian Neal
“All of the Angels decided that we’d all go in together, so you can at least walk down with us.”
Dan was immensely appreciative of how much her friends and teammates clearly adored Fionna.
“But I still want to stay here,” she huffed in a fitful pout. She poked her bottom lip out and nuzzled against him.
Certain that she was the most precious thing in the world, Dan kissed her forehead.
“I’m sorry, honey.” He certainly couldn’t get her out of the banquet. If she wanted to challenge the next day, then she had to make appearances tonight.
Still in a defiant mood, Fionna climbed out of his lap and marched around the partial wall that obscured the bed from the entrance to the suite. She returned a moment later, carrying her lingerie book.
She laid it on the couch, and Dan watched her move to the refrigerator to get a Dr. Pepper for herself. She settled back on the couch, apparently pretending that they had absolutely nothing to get ready for.
Dan shook his head and grinned at her. He knew he could never love anything more, as he watched her begin to absorb the book.
“Honey?”
“Shh,” she demanded with a sheepish grin. He chuckled.
With a shrug, he scooted closer to her. “If we’re going to sit here and pretend that we’re staying in all night, can I at least look with you?”
He wanted to watch her read, and learn. She was so fascinated with it all, and he was endlessly fascinated with her.
He fervently wished he could keep her tucked in their room all night. He’d make her tea, feed her dinner, listen to her talk, and laugh. He wanted her to share the secrets of her heart. He longed to kiss away the corrosive world. He needed to touch her and knead her curves. He yearned to rock her luscious body to sleep and then cradle her on his chest. He wanted to feel the energy of her dreams.
She giggled adorably. “Because you want to see other women in lingerie?”
“No,” Dan assured her, “because sitting here, watching you read, and listening to you tell me about what you’re reading, just being beside you, Fionna, means absolutely everything to me.”
She gazed at him with all of the love and adoration he felt for her. With a slow nod, she scooted beside him, now that she was certain that he would let her have her moment of denial. He would not only let her pretend that they didn’t have to leave their rooms and act like they hardly knew one another, but he would help her hide away, even if it was only for a little while. He positioned her between his legs and let her lie back against his chest.
“I’ll get ready soon,” she sounded like a frightened little girl. It broke Dan’s heart. “Whenever you want to, baby, but I’m going to sit here with my arms wrapped around you for as long as you’ll let me.”
“I don’t want to see him. He makes my skin crawl,” she shuddered against him as she slowly turned a page, still distracting herself with the book.
Dan’s cell chirped just then, and he pulled it from his pocket, anxious to hear from Portwood.
Sorry, boss, not even a parking ticket. He does still live with his parents, and he’s thirty. So he’s more of a douche bag than a criminal. An ex of his actually told a San Antonio paper that he was a sexy douche bag, in fact. Read another interview where he admitted to owning over a hundred pairs of shoes and that he gets off by watching himself jack off in a mirror. He has a Synthesizer teeth plate that he wears to challenge in. I’m not thinking you have a lot of competition. Maybe see if you can get him to talk about his shoes. L
Feeling much better, Dan chuckled and returned his phone to his pocket.
“Who was that?” Fionna glanced up from a page covered in corsets.
“Portwood; I may have gotten a little irritated with Trevor, and I may have had him look up a few things for me.”
“And?” she cracked up.
“I’m very disappointed that his only crime is being a guy who slept with you that wasn’t me, which I can’t arrest him for. But let’s just say I’m much less concerned.”
“Dan, he’s a jerk,” she all but gagged. “He kept telling me how good-looking he was, and then how lucky I was to get to sleep with him. Then like two and half minutes later, when I made him and his tiny penis, that he calls ‘The Stud Junior,’ leave my suite, he told me he wouldn’t mind me telling all of my friends that he’d just given me the best sex of my life.”
Dan choked back hysterical laughter. She shuddered convulsively.
“I cannot believe I have to deal with him all night. I just wish you could do your whole ‘she is mine’ thing, that gets me all turned on.”
Bitter regret surged through him. He longed to intimidate the hell out of Trevor. He could make Fionna feel safe, and adored, and incredibly turned on, apparently.
“Me, too, baby. But you are mine. All mine.” He could feel her heart pick up pace. “And after we sit through dinner and I make myself sick watching Trevor and a thousand other guys make a play for you, I’m gonna bring you back up here and I’m gonna show you that every single part of your gorgeous body belongs to me, and only me.”
A moan escaped her lips as she turned and stared up at him. She angled her head for a kiss. She wanted to be claimed. “All mine.”
Her lips were soft and hungry. Her mouth, the energy it held, was delicious and craving. He wanted to get drunk on her.
“You’re making me all wet,” she let her hand travel down his chest, and then to his erection now prodding against her hip.
He groaned from the thought of her dripping hot and wet for him as he kept her locked to his body with one arm and let the other hand grope her breasts. He groaned. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples pleaded with his hands. Her energy spun in tantric pulses, needing to be soothed.
Dan slid his right hand from her breasts to the waistband of her pants. He dipped his hand down them and under the innocent cotton panties she was wearing.
“I want to feel it, honey. I want to feel how wet you get for me. Always such a good girl.”
“Yes,” she panted and shuddered against him. She let her legs fall open for him. Wet indeed, slick and fevered and needing to be coaxed to fruition.
Unable to make himself wait, Dan pushed his fingers inside of her, listening to her moan and pant her approval. “This is mine, baby. All of you. All of the places that only I get to touch, and the places I get to lick, and suck, and bite. No one else’s. Only mine.”
She swelled rapidly and then a loud knock sounded at her door. She whimpered as Dan gasped for breath. He begrudgingly pulled his hand away.
“Fi! I need to borrow your hair dryer!” Chloe shouted loudly.
A long string of expletives spewed from Fionna. The effect of his sweet, relatively innocent baby, running through a list of curse words, made Dan laugh. She stomped to the door, carrying her hair dryer, and Dan ducked out of sight.
“Here!”
“What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you getting ready? We have to leave soon.”
“Go away!” Fionna demanded.
With a quick study of Fionna’s flushed face and swollen lips, Chloe sized up the situation.
“Oh for crying out loud, just get ready!”
“Just go!” Fionna slammed the door.
She was still pouting and fuming. She marched back to the seating area, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Fine! We’re getting ready! And then we’re going down to the stupid banquet! And having stupid dinner!” She shrieked the word ‘dinner’, like they were being served something his mother had created. “And then I’ll dance with whatever! And then we’re leaving and coming back up here and you’re doing that and a whole lot more to me, until I don’t remember any of the rest of this stupid, stupid, stupid evening!” she erupted violently.
Dan bit his lips together, trying not to guffaw as she stomped her feet.
“Ugh!” she screeched furiously as she bounded into the bathroom and began flinging curling irons and cosmetics about fitfully.
<
br /> Dan followed her. He was unable to hide his grin.
“Okay.” He yanked the curling iron out of her hand and then laid it gently on the counter.
Wrapping his arms around her, he held her until she stopped struggling. It took virtually no effort on his part. When she stopped wriggling, he kissed the top of her head.
“First of all, you are the cutest thing I have ever seen. And second, baby, I will make it my entire goal to make up for whatever annoys you or make you mad this evening.”
“You better!” she huffed. “Now go get ready. We have to go.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dan gave her a wry grin as her fit began to wane.
Let’s Have a Ball
Dan shrugged into his new suit jacket. He’d dispensed with the Armani coat he’d purchased a year ago, as it had been covered in Cascavel’s blood. He straightened his tie and spritzed on Fionna’s favorite cologne before moving to sit on the couch in her suite, to wait on her to emerge from the bathroom.
“Oh, yum,” she enthused as she made her appearance.
Dan stood as soon as he’d heard the bathroom door slide open.
“Wow!” His eyes goggled as he took in the revealing dress, which put her cleavage and ass on display in ravishing perfection. She looked absolutely stunning. “You are devastatingly gorgeous, baby.” Her face turned up in delighted grin.
“You look pretty studly yourself, Officer Vindico; makes me want to do dirty, dirty things in hopes that you’ll take me prisoner.”
Dan felt his groin tighten and tug as he gave her looks that said he wanted to consume her slowly and thoroughly.
Fionna had pulled her long chestnut locks up into a sophisticated twist that showed off the beautiful curvature of her neckline. She was wearing stiletto heels that were nothing more than a sparse, double row of rhinestones across her toes, and then another that strapped around her ankles.
“Absolutely stunning; I can’t believe I can’t walk in there with you on my arm.”
She gave him his smile and brushed a light kiss across his jawline. “Just because you can’t escort me into the room doesn’t mean that I’m not yours.”
“And I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Fionna’s phone chirped. “They’re ready to go.”
Feeling like he was being rent in two, Dan drew her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, honey. Someday…” Remorse held him in a chokehold.
“Stop. You’re keeping me safe, remember?”
Cradling her face in his right hand, he guided her lips to his, lavishing her mouth with a deep, drawing kiss.
A knock sounded on Dan’s door this time.
“I’ll see you in just a minute,” he assured her. She seemed to will resolve to make herself leave his arms.
His heart pounded. Anger and lust swirled in a volatile cocktail in his stomach. He closed the door between their suites and relocked it then opened the entry door to his suite.
Garrett chuckled as he stepped inside. He was dressed similarly to Dan, in a full suit, but was wearing quite a smirk.
“Uh, you might wanna…” He rubbed his thumb over his own jaw. Dan moved to the mirror near the door. He was covered in Fionna’s burgundy lipstick.
“Thanks.” Dan rubbed the lipstick away, both embarrassed and panicked to think of what might have happened if he’d walked to the party like that.
“No problem,” Garrett laughed outright. They exited and met most of the Angels and their dates at the elevators.
Dan saw it immediately; the way the light in the hallway illuminated her made it almost glow, but he couldn’t do anything about it in front of all of her friends. He couldn’t even move to her and block the top of the deep purple marking he’d left on Fionna’s hipbone that showed through the side cut-out of her dress.
Fionna was admiring Emily’s dress, which was a short, flowing white gown, with a tight bodice that clung to her abundant cleavage. Rainer couldn’t quite keep his eyes off of what she’d put on display.
Racking his brain, as to how to let Fionna know she needed to return to the room and let him heal her, Dan began to panic. Numerous security cameras were placed strategically throughout the hallway. He’d only had Barron change the feed on the ones near their suites. There were half a dozen near the elevators, still running a live feed.
Garrett’s eyes narrowed as a broad grin spread across his face. He noticed it as well. “Seriously?” He shook his head at Dan and laughed hysterically under his breath. “Hey, Fi, come here a minute, baby.” He grasped Fionna’s hand and dragged her down the hallway.
“Garrett!” Fionna stumbled from the force of Garrett’s tug.
Still choking back hysterical laughter, Garrett continued to drag her away until he’d turned the corner and out of the active cameras’ sights and out of sight of her friends.
Dan forced himself to politely ignore them, though he was both seething and thoroughly embarrassed.
“Garrett, no!” Dan heard Fionna argue angrily. “Just leave me alone.”
All of the Angels and their dates glanced curiously at Dan, but tried to ignore whatever was going on.
“Fi,” Garrett huffed, “just stand still a second.”
“No, it’s fine. I want it there,” Fionna insisted as Dan felt his face burn crimson. He clenched his jaw tightly.
Highly amused, Garrett was still laughing. “I will never let you live this down. Now come here to me. I’ll leave part of it.”
Several minutes later, Fionna returned. She was glowing crimson and glaring at Garrett spitefully. She blinked back embarrassed tears.
Dan discreetly glanced down to where the hickey had been and noted that Garrett had only healed the very top of it, leaving the rest at her request.
A person would have to be extremely close to her and staring directly down her dress to see what was left.
Several elevators had come and gone, but upon Fionna’s return, the group of Angels all clambered into the next arrival.
Garrett was still laughing and shaking his head as he joined Dan as the last person on the elevator. They exited on the floor where the Galileo ballroom was located and meandered down the corridor.
“So damn sweet and then wild in the bed; that’s the way it goes. That’s what I’ve always said. Clearly, I should have tapped that when I had a chance,” Garrett husked with a goading grin. Dan glared at him hatefully. “Come on, I’m kidding.”
Rolling his eyes, Dan bit back the phrases that formed on his tongue. ‘She asked me to do it and then asked me to leave it,’ being the most prominent.
As they moved into the ballroom, Garrett continued, “Didn’t even want me to heal it up. Wanted to wear it. Did you hear her? My God, how the hell did you get a girl like that?”
“Thank you for doing that,” Dan finally forced the acknowledgment from his mouth.
“No problem. I’m sure you can re-damage my repair work when you get her back to the room,” Garrett stuck his tongue between his teeth, cracking up again.
“Please don’t embarrass her,” Dan pled humbly.
Garrett stopped laughing. Dan’s plea threw him.
“Hey, I love Fi, and she loves you. I don’t give a damn what you do, as long as you keep making her smile the way she’s been lit up, like a damn Christmas tree, for a month now. I’ll never say anything else to her.” Then with another wry grin, he chuckled, “Now, you, on the other hand. You, I will harass mercilessly, but not in front of anyone else because, like I said, I love her,” Garrett explained the rules of his new game.
“Fine.” Dan was willing to do anything to save Fionna any embarrassment over the things she liked. Teams were appearing in the ballroom and walking around the opulently decorated space.
Each table was dressed in white linen tablecloths, with the teams’ logos on runners situated down the length of their assigned tables. Keeping an eye on Fionna, Dan saw her glance around discreetly. She gave him a quick, nonchalant smile as she discreetly switched two of the place card
s.
As the Sirens hadn’t yet arrived, Dan chuckled. He winked at her and then looked away. A mirror ball spun in the middle of the ballroom, and each team’s banner was displayed on the walls, with the player’s names and numbers.
“So, let’s have it. Just how dirty does my sweet girl like it?” Garrett chided under his breath.
Dan leveled a cold glare at him.
“Oh, come on, I just healed up your bite.” He lifted a clear, plastic cup of beer he’d just removed from a tray, as it went by, to block his mouth from anyone else hearing him.
Dan drew a sip of his own beer with a huff. “Not a chance in hell,” he quipped with disdain.
“She’s told me about every other guy. And I hear about how amazing you are all the time,” He smirked and then promptly began laughing again, as a broad, cocky grin spread across Dan’s face.
“All right, if she tells you everything, tell me what happened with her and Captain Douchebag,” Dan gestured his head toward Trevor, who’d just entered the ballroom with the rest of the Synthesizers. He was wearing a grey tuxedo jacket, jeans, and had completed his ensemble with white leather tennis shoes that had Synthesizers spelled out on the sides in emerald-green rhinestones.
Garrett nearly choked on his beer. “What the fuck was she thinking?” He shook his head. “It was bad. He pretty much told her he was the greatest thing ever and then jitzed his pants before she got in the room. She must’ve been hard up, is all I can figure. We’ve had a strict rule since the Academy. We’re best friends and didn’t want to screw that up, but I would have obliged her to keep her away from him if I had known she was that bad off.”
The thought had Dan reeling. She’d clearly needed something, and he’d been who knows where, doing God knows what with some unknown woman who meant nothing to him or with his head buried in work. Feeling disgusted with himself, and disgusted with Trevor Sanders, Dan drained his beer.
Fionna seated herself, which brought about another round of regret. Garrett gestured towards the table.
“Come on, let’s go. I may have to wipe Rainer’s drool off of my sister’s rack,” He rolled his eyes and elicited a genuine chuckle from Dan.